Facilities Quality and Compliance Educator pilot

Between late 2022 and early 2023, the Widening Access Team at NHS Education Scotland (NES) planned and launched a pilot scheme in collaboration with NHS Grampian to explore the potential for a new role - Facilities Quality & Compliance Educator. This offered a new career pathway for the facilities workforce that previously did not exist; and also met the education needs of the current and future Facilities Support Workforce.

The National Workforce Strategy pillars were used as the foundation for the pilot model, with a particular focus on Attract, Train, and Employ to develop the existing NHS Scotland Support Workforce. The pilot used quality improvement methodology to embed the new role within a Facilities Services team. The new role ran as a test of change to create a career pathway and provide support for the Domestic Services Team across NHS Grampian.

The aim of this role was to enhance the quality of individualised work-based learning experiences for staff. It also supported the compliance rates of education in relation to mandatory, statutory, and further training for relevant staff. The use of peer support provided an on the job focus to positively contribute to a skilled future Support Workforce.

The Facilities Quality and Compliance Educators delivered the pilot project and created access for domestic support staff from the point of staff induction; enabling new and existing domestic assistants the opportunity to complete the Facilities Services Workbook.

The workbook has been designed for staff working in Soft Facilities Services to support and demonstrate the required evidence to achieve the Healthcare Support Worker (HCSW) Mandatory Induction Standards and adhere to the HCSW Codes of Conduct.

Evidence suggests that when staff are supported throughout induction and encouraged to develop, there is an outcome of better retention rates. The associated educational material used to deliver the education sessions for the workbook, induction standards and codes of conduct was developed under Service Level Agreement between NHS Education for Scotland and NHS Grampian.

This opportunity has the potential to provide further positive changes in the development of the support workforce career pathways, to raise the profile of employees within the support workforce. Testing a similar role within another service area, in collaboration with another NHSS Board, would provide the basis for clearer career pathway development within Facilities Services.

Beverly Wilson – Business Partner

If you are interested in finding out more about this pilot, and running something similar within your setting or indeed if you already run something similar and want to share your story please contact wideningaccess@nes.scot.nhs.uk